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A Note from Tara

Welcome to my little part of the Internet world! I’m Tara, your hostess here at Daisy Smiley Face. Won’t you stay a while? Read, share your thoughts. … As long as you use a coaster for your beverage, we’ll get along just fine.

Friday Fhoughts: Folume Sixteen / Tar-ona Update Numero Cinco

It’s been 24 days since my last post, but I thought it’s only been, like, two weeks. So maybe we’ll go with that? Let’s talk about fhoughts/update you on My Carona.

It’s a combo! My fhoughts flutter around COVID so might as well pair up the Corona update and a Friday Fhoughts post. Many fhoughts have come and go in the past more than three weeks. Many involved the ordering of things, the putting away of things ordered, the thinking ahead to meat and chicken shortages and ordering those weeks ago, and finding places that deliver fruit (Edible Arrangements — just fruit, not a fruity “floral” arrangement). See, what happened was I decided a month ago that I wasn’t going to the grocery store the third week of April as previously planned — not enough curve-flattening for me at that point. (You may remember I’m in close contact with a person in the high-risk groups, hence all the ordering and deliveries and infrequent store trips.) Last week, I finally got a grocery store delivery time slot after weeks of trying so that helped.

The fruit delivery included veggies, too. I skinned, sliced, and BLANCHED the carrots before freezing them for future use. Look at me, blanchin’ things! The meal deliveries from Martha & Marley Spoon unleashed my inner chef and now I google how to do things like blanch! I’ve eaten better in the past two months than in years, so on that front, thanks, Carona. Also, I put the bulb of my last scallion in water and am growing a whole new one! Why didn’t anyone tell me? I tell ya, it’s pistachios all over again.

Earlier this week, I donned a mask and ventured into the grocery store myself for the first time in five weeks. I went late so there were few people there, but it’s still a weird experience, made even moreso by the fact that I’m apparently allergic to some material in my disposable mask. Sneezing, runny and stuffy nose alternated, then went away after about two days.

I’m contemplating the right verbiage for putting Pandemic Preparer on my resume as I’m ridiculously organized, found just about everything I wanted or needed online (required things, no extraneous purchases), and my pantry is a divine image, mostly of cans, Andy Warhol-tribute style. AND I’m persistent — after weeks of no toilet paper anywhere on earth, I’ve found online in the past two weeks enough for now and some for the next lockdown — not a hoard-y level, but enough to get by in case the hoarders appear again.

I’ve passed time laughing at comedy, *not* reading most of the books I checked out from the library in February, lamenting that fact, taking a course in grant writing, recently starting another course in personal writing with like-minded folks, attending writer events online (I’m Zoom-in’!), watching Indigo Girls perform live a few times. The time spent reading about The Situation, as I call it, has diminished as weeks passed.

On April 25, settled deeply into it is what it is, I watched the Sesame Street gang on a CNN town hall for kids. That’s the day the tears about The Situation finally arrived. Big Bird answered a kid question about people dying from the disease, and he remembered when Mr. Looper (as he called Mr. Hooper) died, and he was sad, then I was sad, for Big Bird then and for the kids now. What a truly awful experience this is, for anyone with an empathetic human heart.

Back to the bright side! In the month I’ve had CBS All Access for free, I didn’t get around to watching Star Trek: Picard. I attempted to cancel, they asked why, I said it costs too much per month, and they gave me another free month. Jean-Luc! I’ll spend time with you this month. I managed to watch quite a few episodes of Beverly Hills, 90210, season 3. That’s the season that starts with Kelly Taylor and Dylan McKay betraying (the oh-so-annoying) Brenda Walsh’s friendship and it ends with DONNA MARTIN GRADUATES! Apparently, during this time of world stress, I longed for a time complicated only by teen love triangles, awkward storytelling, and bad 90s hair — an enjoyable respite from reality.

I visit nature at various places and enjoy the sunshine, usually from inside my car. I walk only if nobody’s around. Masks are mandatory in my state, but, like stop signs, most take that to mean it’s merely a suggestion. I have to be extra careful (see: previously mentioned high risk family member). Anytime I’m outside is visible on the Insta, as the kids say. Taking pictures, another fun way to spend time.

Writing’s on the list of things to do, but I think Muse has been sheltering in place wherever she is. I’m hopeful she’ll come around again soon (as long as she stays six feet apart).

Anyhoooooo…..

On April 25, after The Big Bird Incident, I went on the YouTube looking for respite. The first video on the page was the one below, a timeless yet totally now post. Hope it makes you smile, too.

May your inside time be whatever you need it to be.

May the world remember the lessons this time can reveal (if people pay attention).

May safety and sense and solidarity reign as this trying time continues.

And may the kid in me always find solace in the hope of rainbow connections.

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15 Comments

Nothing like checking out books at the library, then not reading them. Too bad the library is probably closed so you could return them to get some new ones to let them sit. 😉 But the big picture says you are safe. 🙂 Thanks for Kermit.

Hi, Frank! Happy to see you. I’m a fan of letting books sit as I always take too many out to begin with, more than any human can possibly read in three weeks, though I do it with gusto and the illusion that I can in fact read 15 books in that time frame. Yes, safe as one can be given the circumstances and my predilection for seriously following the rules. 🙂 You’re welcome for Kermie. Glad you enjoyed.

“If people pay attention” is the crux of it. I want to believe that we will come out of this pandemic a wiser, happier world, but I’m too much of a cynic to place any bets on it.

On a cheerier note, I’m happy to see you writing here. Thrilled to know that can blanche veggies. I’m with you about not reading all the books I thought I’d have read by now. We adapt, but not as expected.

I waffle between optimism and cynicism (the latter usually after seeing/reading news). We’ll keep the hope alive between us!

Thanks! Happy to be here. I wasn’t sure if the blanche had an e or not and didn’t feel like googling. Kept feeling like I was cooking a Golden Girl if I typed it with an ‘e’. Yes, apparently, from my previous research, blanching prior to freezing preserves the flavor and vitamins. Sorry your books are lonely, too. Maybe we’ll get to them as we adapt even more…. The only thing to expect is… the unexpected!

You could not possibly know that I song that song when I’m happy, and it made my day!
I’m so glad you’re enjoying the cooking. My husband bought a waffle iron, and we’ve both done a lot of grilling and cooking the past six weeks, but I think we’ve eaten takeout way more than usual. Or maybe we’re eating more weekday takeout? I dunno. I feel like I’ve eaten way more Panera lately.
Grant writing course piques my interest. May do that when I’m doing less momming. I think I’d enjoy it.
Mentor came back for three days and has been out for over a week again since. In the meantime I have kept our office going and now we have new receptionist so I’ve been training her. My life is still relatively normal.
Stay safe so you keep at-risk loved one safe too!

Aw, happy to hear that! I didn’t know it was a happy song for you, but YAY!

I’ve recently ventured into curbside takeout, but only a few times. I pop my trunk and the lovely restaurant peeps put bags in there — contactless delivery due to at-risk peeps, you know. It’s kind of cool, being an introvert and not having to make the obligatory small talk when picking up food.

I’d like to get a waffle iron, too. Thanks, Joey Hubs, for reminding me!

The grant writing course is tres interesting and, as I know you like to write for work, this uses the same skill set — persuasion, research etc.

Aw, poor Mentor. I hope she gets all the way well soon! You are the office keeper goer! Of course you are. 😉 Hope the new receptionist takes your training to heart and works out well.

I’m staying safe. Inside mostly! I now have a mask wardrobe as well, for outside excursions when they must occur, which isn’t often… yet. Hopefully not for a while.